clamp

American  

[klamp] / klæmp /

noun

• clamps
  plural

1. a device, usually of some rigid material, for strengthening or supporting objects or fastening them together.

2. an appliance with opposite sides or parts that may be adjusted or brought closer together to hold or compress something.

3. one of a pair of movable pieces, made of lead or other soft material, for covering the jaws of a vise and enabling it to grasp without bruising.

4. Also called clamp rail. Carpentry. a rail having a groove or a number of mortises for receiving the ends of a number of boards to bind them into a flat piece, as a drawing board or door.

5. Nautical.

   1. a horizontal timber in a wooden hull, secured to ribs to support deck beams and to provide longitudinal strength.

   2. mast clamp.

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verb (used with object)

• clamps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• clamped,
  past participle,  past
• clamping
  present participle

1. to fasten with or fix in a clamp.

   Synonyms:

   secure, clench, clinch

verb phrase

1. clamp down on to impose or increase controls on.

2. clamp down to become more strict.

   There were too many tax loopholes, so the government clamped down.

clamp ¹ British  

/ klæmp /

noun

1. a mechanical device with movable jaws with which an object can be secured to a bench or with which two objects may be secured together

2. See also wheel clamp

3. a means by which a fixed joint may be strengthened

4. nautical a horizontal beam fastened to the ribs for supporting the deck beams in a wooden vessel

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verb

1. to fix or fasten with or as if with a clamp

2. to immobilize (a car) by means of a wheel clamp

3. to inflict or impose forcefully

   they clamped a curfew on the town

clamp ² British  

/ klæmp /

noun

1. a mound formed out of a harvested root crop, covered with straw and earth to protect it from winter weather

2. a pile of bricks ready for processing in a furnace

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verb

1. (tr) to enclose (a harvested root crop) in a mound

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unclamped
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clamps
  plural

Participles

• clamping
  present
• clamped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• clamp
  simple
• clamps
  simple
• have clamped
  perfect
• has clamped
  perfect
• am clamping
  progressive
• are clamping
  progressive
• is clamping
  progressive
• have been clamping
  perfect progressive
• has been clamping
  perfect progressive

Past

• clamped
  simple
• had clamped
  perfect
• was clamping
  progressive
• were clamping
  progressive
• had been clamping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will clamp
  simple
• will have clamped
  perfect
• will be clamping
  progressive
• will have been clamping
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of clamp

1350–1400; Middle English (noun) < Middle Dutch clampe clamp, cleat; cognate with Middle Low German klampe

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Explanation

A clamp is a tool that's used to secure two things tightly together. When you repair a chair, it's best to use a clamp to hold the glued pieces together firmly. Carpenters, woodworkers, and plumbers all use clamps when they want to hold things together while they wait for glue to dry or need their hands free. When you use this kind of device, you can also say you clamp something: "Clamp that board down for me before I turn the saw on." Clamp most likely shares a Germanic root with the word clam — *klam-, "to press together."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clamp clamps clamped clamping

On top of the legal boom, the state has attempted to clamp down on clandestine prospecting.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

As China, India and other countries move to clamp down on these drugs, some argue that restricting access further could create different dangers.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

It took state insurance commissioners four years to clamp down on one kind of structured debt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Elfers also said it was very common for a boat engine, which does not have a closed cooling system like a car, to have a hose that pops or a hose clamp that fails.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

The rope goes suddenly tight around my waist and I clamp tight with my gloved hand—it doesn’t take much strength.

From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

If your vehicle doesn’t come with a set, I recommend finding a cable with a thick gauge, good insulation, durable clamps, and a good length.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

In Europe, Slovakia’s government on Wednesday allowed service stations to limit diesel sales, and set higher prices for cars with foreign plates as it clamps down on fuel tourism and hoarding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

And then there's old-style physical devices - steering wheel locks or even wheel clamps.

From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2026

As the government clamps down on overseas workers, migrants spoke to AFP about working in the shadows.

From Barron's ● Dec. 19, 2025

They were locked in place by those ski boot clamps.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

During wedding ceremonies, women get wide metal collars clamped around their necks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

It bent over, clamped the cord with its pincers and tucked the cord along a shelf to clear a path.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Sister Carren Herring asked as the Haitian man walked toward the field office, where he would reemerge from hours later with a GPS tracker clamped around an ankle.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

The Uzbek referee should have clamped down earlier, shown his authority and given the impression that the rough tactics would not be tolerated.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

The robot launched herself up and across the alley and clamped onto the opposite building.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Until relatively recently, clamping down on piracy was not seen as a priority by the broadcasters themselves.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

But clamping down risks damaging the dollar’s dominance, as countries look for alternatives such as China’s yuan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

At one booth, visitors pointed their phones at a humanoid wearing an apron as it gingerly reached for a toy chicken drumstick before clamping down and lifting the fake meat into a bucket.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

Now, private-credit firms are clamping down on the option, known as payment in kind, or PIK.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

A sorrow as black as the night outside invades me, and I feel my throat clamping.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

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Related Words

• clench
• impose

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